Many people believe they have an immortal soul.  But is this belief supported by the Bible?  Let’s take a look.

Man is mortal

God created mankind from the dust of the earth.

Gen 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being [nephesh].

God imparted life into the man and the man became a “living being”, Hebrew nephesh.  The same word is also used to describe the animals. 

Gen 1:20  Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures [nephesh], and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”

Furthermore, when we die, the dust from which we are made returns to the ground.

Gen 3:19  In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

Man is not made entirely of dust.  There is a spirit component, that the Bible refers to as “the spirit of man”, but it is not an immortal soul.  For more information see, “What is the spirit in man?”

This Hebrew word nephesh is sometimes translated as “soul”.

Ezek 18:4  “Behold, all souls [nephesh] are Mine; The soul [nephesh] of the father As well as the soul [nephesh] of the son is Mine; The soul [nephesh] who sins shall die.

Ezek 18:20  “The soul [nephesh] who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

This soul, or nephesh, that we are, can die.  It is clear that God created mankind as mortal beings, and thus we do not have an immortal soul. 

There is further proof we do not have an immortal soul when we consider what happens in the grave.

What happens in the grave?

Death comes to all eventually.  What happens when we die?  Some think that good people go to heaven when they die.  But they don’t.  No one has gone to heaven – except Jesus Christ.

John 3:13  “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

Even king David is still dead and not in heaven.

Acts 2:29  “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

Acts 2:34  “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand,

When we die we just go to the grave, to the ground.  But what happens in the grave?  Nothing happens in the grave.  The dead know nothing.  In the grave there is no work, thought or knowledge.

Eccl 9:5  For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.

Eccl 9:10  Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device [cheshbon] or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

The Hebrew word translated device is cheshbon, which can mean “reasoning or reckoning”.  The dead do not think.  Neither do the dead praise God.

Psa 6:5  For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks?

Psa 30:9  “What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth?

Psa 88:10  Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah
Psa 88:11  Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?

Psa 115:17  The dead do not praise the LORD, Nor any who go down into silence.

If man had an immortal soul, he would go on living in some way after death.  But the Bible is clear that this is not the case.  In fact, the dead must be resurrected otherwise they perish forever.

1 Cor 15:16  For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.
1 Cor 15:17  And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
1 Cor 15:18  Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

There is further proof we do not have an immortal soul when we consider we must put on immortality.

Man can attain immortality

Immortality is something that man must seek and be given. 

Rom 2:6  who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:
Rom 2:7  eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;

We must put on incorruption and immortality. 

1 Cor 15:52  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Cor 15:53  For this corruptible [phthartos] must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Cor 15:54  So when this corruptible [phthartos] has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

We must put on immortality because we are mortal, because we are corruptible.  Corruptible is translated from the Greek phthartos, which means perishable.   We are perishable because our physical bodies grow old and decrepit and die.  We must therefore put on incorruption, that which cannot perish. 

Conclusion

We do not have an immortal soul.  We are made from the dust of the earth and return to dust when we die.  Our hope of eternal life is in Jesus Christ through the resurrection of the dead to eternal life in bodies that do not perish.